Machine for treating wheels of railroad vehicles



Oct. 10,1967 T. DOMBROWSKI 3,345,891

MACHINE FOR TREATING WHEELS 0F RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Feb. 23. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 10,1967 T. DOMBROWSKI 3,345,891

MACHINE FOR TREATING WHEELS OF RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Feb. 23. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/GE ff/IMF 6/6 Arrow 5' Oct. 10,1967 T. DOMBROWSK! MACHINE FOR TREATING WHEELS OF RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Feb. 23, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 10,1967 T. DOMBRbWS'KI 3,345,891

MACHINE FOR TREATING WHEELS OF RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Feb. 23, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 14 Claims. (or. 828) The present invention relates to improvements in machines for turning and/or otherwise treating wheels of railroad vehicles. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in pit-mounted machines which are used for supporting and simultaneously machining multiplewear wheels of wheel assemblies on locomotives and other rail-mounted conveyances. Still more particularly,

' the invention relates to a pit-mounted machine which is especially suited for machining back to its original contour not only the rim but also the flange of a multiplewear wheel.

Wheel assemblies of railroad vehicles must be treated from time to time by machining the wheels back to their original contour after they have been worn down in service. Such wear may be due to the presence of one or more flats in normally round surfaces, to the eccentricity of Wheels and/or to uneven removal of material in response to contact with the rails. A machine which is utilized for machining of wheels normally comprises two pairs of driving rollers which are installed in a pit below the level of the rails and are driven by separate electric motors or the like to rotate the wheels of a two-wheel assembly while a set of turning or other tools removes material from the damaged surfaces of the wheels. The driving rollers must follow the outlines of the respective wheels, i.e., the wheel assembly must be free to float on the rollers if the latter are driven about fixed axes or the rollers must move up and down to follow the outlines of eccentric wheels when the wheel assembly is rigidly held during machining. Presently utilized conventional machines of which I have knowledge at this time are unable to properly support and rotate the wheels of an assembly which exhibits one or more of the above enumerated deone driving roller. The wobbling has an adverse effect on the turning operation because the entire machine is caused to shake and it happens quite frequently that the frictional engagement between the driving rollers and the wheels is insuflicient to rotate the wheels against the resistance offered by the turning tools. The rim of a wheel often exhibits shoulder-like or step-like unevennesses which are due to repeated application of brakes. When a turning tool meets such a shoulder or step, the entire machine is set in vibratory motion and, unless the wheel is in satisfactory frictional engagement with both driving rollers, the assembly comes to a halt so that the turning operation cannot be completed.

Accordingly, it is an important object of my present invention to provide a novel pit-mounted machine for turning the wheels of wheel assemblies in railroad ve hides and to construct and assemble the machine in such 'a way that each wheel of an essembly which is being treated invariably remains in satisfactory motion-receiving engagement with the corresponding set of driving rollers and that the turning operation generates little noise.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the just outlined characteristics which can rapidly and accurately turn multiple-wear type wheels on railroad vehicles without any danger of excessive vibration, breakage of tools or other drawbacks which are observable in many conventional wheel turning or restoring machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel housing for the improved machine and to construct and mount the housing in such a way that it can be rapidly and readily adjusted to properly support the wheels of a defective assembly.

An additional object of the instant invention is to provide a machine which can be used for treatment of rims and also for treatment of flanges on the multiple-wear wheels of railroad vehicles and which can be rapidly and conveniently adjusted to support different types of wheel assemblies.

A concomitant object of the present invention is to provide a machine wherein a wheel assembly may be rapidly transferred from a set of nails onto the driving rollers or vice versa.

Briefly stated, one feature of my invention resides in the providion of a pit-mounted machine for machining multiple-wear Wheels on wheel assemblies of railroad vehicles. The machine comprises a housing, two sets of driving rollers which are mounted on the housing for rotation about horizontal axes and are arranged to support and to drive the wheels of a wheel assembly during actual treatment, drive means mounted in or on the housing for rotating the rollers through the intermediary of chain and sprocket drives or the like, and supporting means for supporting the housing for rotation about a substantially vertical axis. The machine preferably comprises second supporting means for supporting the housing for tilting or rocking movements about a horizontal axis which is parallel to the axis of the wheel axle. The first supporting means may comprise a hydraulic jack which can move the housing up and down, and the second supporting means-preferably comprises a fulcrum which defines the horizontal axis and a balance beam which is supported by the fulcrum and carries the first supporting means. The housing further carries two horizontally reciprocable slides for temporarily propping the wheel assembly prior to engagement by the driving rollers and a pair of tool slides which are movable up and down and carry the turning tools.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved machine itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a pitmounted machine for turning of multiple-wear wheels on railroad vehicles, the driving rollers of the machine being shown in a position in which they engage the flanges of the wheels;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the machine, substantially as seen in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the machine, with the wheel assembly omitted; and

FIG. 4 is a second fragmentary side elevational view of the machine but further showing certain components of the hydraulic control system which are used to move the housing up and down.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown a pit mounted machine for turning multiple-wear wheels of locomotives and other types of railroad vehicles. The machine is constructed to treat both wheels 1 of a wheel assembly at a time. Each wheel assembly comprises an axle 1a, two wheels 1 which are pressed onto the axle 1a and turn with it, and two journal boxes 2. When a truck comprising one or more wheel assemblies is driven to a level above the machine, i.e., above the pit P, the wheels 1 travel on rails 3 and 3' which are swingable laterally to insure that the weight of the wheel assembly can rest solely on the two sets of driving rollers 5, 6 which are disposed in pairs, one pair for each wheel 1. The rails 3 and 3 are indicated by broken lines and are swingable about vertical pivots 3a one of which is shown in FIG. 3.

The rollers 5, 5 and 6, 6 are respectively mounted on horizontal shafts 38, 38' which are shown in FIG. 3 and are respectively driven by electric motors 23, 23' through the intermediary of sprocket wheels 22, 20 and 22' 21 and chains 22a, 22a. The machine further comprises two laterally movable temporary supports or props 19, one for each wheel 1, and two vertically reciprocable tool slides 17 each of which carries a turning tool 18. The props 19 are mounted on horizontally reciprocable slides 16 which are guided in ways provided on the copying tool slides 17 and may be reciprocated by cylinders and pistons or the like. The means for reciprocating the copying tool slides 17 comprises two cylinder and piston units 9 which are operated by oil or by another suitable hydraulic pressure medium. Each prop 19 may be moved from the broken-line operative position 19' to the solidline idle position of FIG. 3 to respectively prop or to move away from the corresponding wheel 1. When the rails 3, 3 are swung away in the directions indicated by arrows 3b and the supports 19 are moved to their solidline positions, the weight of the wheel assembly including the wheels 1, the axle 1a, the journal boxes and all such parts which are mounted on the journal boxes is carried solely by the driving rollers 5 and 6.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, all of the heretofore described parts of the improved machine are mounted in and/or on a single block-shaped carrier or housing 4 which is turnable about a vertical axis defined by a first supporting means including a centrally located main piston or colum 12 and which is also tiltable about a horizontal axis defined by a fulcrum 13. The horizontal axis is parallel to the axis of the axle 1a. The piston 12 forms part of a jack which can move the housing 4 up and down, and this piston extends into a lower cylinder chamber 7 defined by a cylinder which constitutes a component part of the housing 4. The housing 4 can turn with reference to the piston 12 or the latter can turn with reference to the second supporting means which includes the aforementioned fulcrum 13, a balance beam 10 which is connected with the lower end of the piston 12, and a base 11 which is mounted on the 'bottom wall of the pit P. Two block-shaped stops 14 and 15 are adjacent to the bottom wall of the pit P and are movable toward and away from each other to thereby determine the extent to which the housing 4 can rock about the axis of the fulcrum 13. The means for adjusting the position of the stops 14, 15 comprism a horizontal spindle 26 which is formed with left-hand and right-hand threads and is rotatable in the base 11. The left-hand and right-hand threads respectively mesh with complementary threads machined into the stops 14, 15 so that, depending upon the direction in which the spindle 26 is rotated (either by hand or by means of a servo), the stops 14, 15 will move toward or away from each other. The stops 14, 15 are held against rotation, for example, by maintaining their fiat undersides in face-to-face abutment with the bottom wall of the pit. It is to be noted that the stops may also serve to hold the housing 4 against any tilting, i.e., each thereof may be moved into actual abutment with the corresponding end face of the balance beam 10 at the time the axis of the piston 12 is truly vertical.

The piston 12 is mechanically connected with an auxiliary or secondary piston 12a which is reciprocable in a second cylinder chamber 8 of the housing 4. Thus, the two pistons together form a twin piston and the upper portion of the chamber 8 is connected with the lower portions of chambers in the cylinder and piston units 9, see FIG. 4. The chambers 7 and 8 of the housing 4 are separated from each other by an annular partition 33 which is held in a preselected position by a locking bolt or pin 34. A stern 12b connects the pistons 12, 12a and extends through the partition 33. The conduits 9a which connect the chamber 8 with the lower chambers of the units 9 are provided with valves 9b which may be opened or closed by the operators or by remote control. The effective surface of the auxiliary piston 12a preferably equals the combined area of effective surfaces of the pistons 9c in the units 9. The units 9 are connected with the hydraulic control system when the machine is in actual use, i.e., when the tools 18 are caused to move upwardly and to remove material from the wheels 1. The valves 9b are then closed so that the position of the piston 12a remains unchanged. The hydraulic control system for the units 9 is not shown in the drawings; its purpose is to lift the copying tool slides 17 at a controlled speed so that the tools 18 may remove material from revolving wheels 1 at an exactly determined rate without overly braking the wheels. The wheels are driven in response to rotation of the rollers 5 and 6.

If the housing 4 is to be lifted or lowered, the valves 9b are opened and the chamber 8 either receives or discharges hydraulic fluid via conduits 9a.

A portion of the hydraulic control system for the improved machine is shown in FIG. 4. This control system comprises a source 36 of oil, e.g., a suitable oil tank, a pump 35 which draws oil from the tank 36, a distributor valve 37 which can control the flow of oil to and from the lower chamber 7, and conduits 37a which connect the valve with the source, with the pump and with the chamber 7. It will be noted that the chamber 7 may receive or discharge oil through a bore 12d provided in the piston 12. The slidable valve member 37b of the valve 37 is movable between three positions. In the position which is shown in FIG. 4, the valve member 37b prevents escape of oil from the chamber 7 and simultaneously connects this chamber with the pressure side of the pump 35 so that the housing 4 is compelled to rise in response to admission of oil into the chamber 7. By shifting the valve member 37b to the left, the operator can seal the pump 35 from the chamber 7 and simultaneously seals the chamber 7 from the source 36 so that the housing 4 remains at a desired level. By shifting the valve member 37b further to the left, the operator can connect the chamber 7 with the source 36 so that oil can escape from the chamber and the housing 4 sinks to a lower level.

The rollers 5, 5 and 6, 6 are respectively adjustable in the axial direction of their shafts 38, 38. However, each of these rollers is compelled to share all rotary movements of the respective shaft. As best shown in FIG. 3, each roller is formed with a groove 39 which can receive the flange of the respective wheel 1. In addition, one flange 40 of each roller 5 or 6 can engage the rim of the corresponding wheel. The wheel flange will rest in the grooves 39 of the corresponding rollers 5, 6 when the associated tool 18 treats the rim of the wheel, see FIG. 1. When the rim is properly finished, the rollers are shifted axially to roll along the rim and the tools 18 are then adjusted to finish the flanges. A flange is less likely to be damaged than the rim; therefore, the rollers 5, 6 will first support the flange to allow for turning of the rim and, once the rim is machined back to its original contour, the rollers 5, 6 are shifted axially of the shafts 38, 38 to engage the finished rim and to allow for turning of the flanges. In other words, the rim is preferably turned prior to the flange.

In many presently known machines for treating multiple-wear wheels of railroad vehicles, the driving rollers are movable only up and down but not in the plane of their axes. This prevents the rollers from remaining in satisfactory driving and supporting engagement with eccentric or unevenly worn wheels. At the very best, each roller bears against the corresponding wheel with a different force. The rollers then tend to move the truck and/or the entire vehicle back and forth but cannot actually displace the vehicle due to its very high weight. It can be observed again and again that the wheel assembly often rests on a single driving roller. However, and since the torque which a single roller can transmit to the wheel assembly is relatively small, the assembly is likely to come to a full halt when the tips of turning tools engage a shoulder or another pronounced unevenness in the surface which is being treated. Furthermore, and since the driving motors meet a strongly fluctuating resistance to rotation of the rollers, the rollers are likely to be accelerated to a very high idling speed when they are out of actual contact with the wheels whereby they begin to slide with reference to the Wheels on renewed engagement therewith. Once a roller slips or slides, the torque which it can transmit to the wheel is very small.

It was found that the improved machine successfully avoids the above outlined drawbacks of conventional pitmounted turning machines. This is due to the fact that, in addition to being movable up and down, the rollers 5, 6 can also rotate about the axis of the piston 12 and can preferably swivel with the housing about the axis of the fulcrum 13. In this way, the rollers can remain in continued frictional engagement with the wheels 1 and are not likely to slip, i.e., they invariably transmit a high torque to make sure that the turning operation can be completed rapidly and without interruptions. Also, the wear on the tools is relatively small and the tools are less likely to break. The novel mounting of the housing 4 enables the rollers 5, 6 to remain in satisfactory driving engagement with the Wheels 1 because they are not affected by such fluctuations in transmission of torque which are observable in conventional machines due to eccentricity and/ or uneven wear on the wheels. The wear on the wheels is never uniform so that some eccentricity is observable whenever a wheel is being turned to restore its original contour.

Due to the fact that the rollers 5, 6 of my improved machine can turn about the axis of the piston 12 and are free to swivel about the axis of the fulcrum 13, each thereof can remain in satisfactory supporting and torquetransmitting engagement with the corresponding wheel. Also, the motors 23, 23' may be placed close to the shafts 38, 38' to reduce the length of transmissions. If desired, the motors 23, 23 may be replaced by a single motor. However, even the provision of two motors (23, 23') constitutes a considerable improvement over many presently known machines wherein each roller is driven by a separate motor. The utilization of a single motor or of a single pair of motors reduces considerably the initial and maintenance cost of the machine.

The first supporting means which includes the piston 12 actually performs three important functions, namely, to lift and to lower the rollers 5, 6; to define the vertical axis for the housing 4; and to connect the housing with the second supporting means which defines the horizontal ax1s.

Due to the fact that the cylinder and piston units 9 are operatively connected with the chamber 8 of the housing 4, these units can effectively support the wheel assembly while the rollers 5, 6 are being lowered to move out of contact with the wheels 1. Heretofore, the tooladjusting units of conventional machines had to be v p 6 propped on the ground before the rollers were moved away from the wheels. In fact, in many conventional machines, the units corresponding to the units 9 and the slides corresponding to the slides 17 were mounted independently of the driving rollers. By supporting the units 9. directly on the housing 4, my improved machine occupies very little room and is not only lighter but also much cheaper than conventional machines.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pit-mounted machine for treating multiplewear wheels of wheel assemblies in railroad vehicles, a housing; two sets of driving rollers mounted on said housing, each of said rollers being rotatable about a horizontal axis and each of said sets being arranged to drive one wheel of a wheel assembly; drive means supported by said housing and operatively connected with said driving rollers; and supporting means for supporting said housing for rotation about a substantially vertical axis.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting means comprises a jack for moving said housing up and down.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2, further comprising second supporting means for supporting said housing for tilting movements about a horizontal axis which is parallel to the axes of said driving rollers.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein said iack includes a piston mounted on said second supportmg means and reciprocable in a cylinder chamber provided in said housing.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein said second supporting means comprises a ground-supported base, a fulcrum defining the horizontal axis of said second supporting means, and a balance beam rockable on said fulcrum and carrying said first named supporting means.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a pair of vertically movable tool slides mounted on said housing and a pair of cylinder and piston units for reciprocating said tool slides, said units being supported by said housing.

7. A structure as set forth in claim 6, wherein said housing defines an upper and a lower cylinder chamber and said jack comprises a pair of interconnected pistons each of which is reciprocable in one of said chambers, and further comprising a pair of conduit means connecting said upper chamber with the chambers of said units. 8. A structure as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a shutoff valve provided in each of said conduit means. i 9. A structure as set forth in claim 3, further comprismg a pair of slides supported by said housing and movable in the axial direction of said driving rollers, and a prop provided on each of said slides and movable to and from supporting engagement with one wheel of an assembly which is located above said housing. 10. A structure as set forth in claim 3, further comprisrng adjustable stop means for limiting the extent of rockmg movement of said housing about the axis of said second supporting means.

11. A structure as set forth in claim 10, wherein said second supporting means comprises a ground-supported base, a fulcrum mounted on said base and defining the axis of said second supporting means, and a balance beam having two end faces and rockably supported by said fulcrum, said first named supporting means being mounted on said balance beam and said adjustable stop means comprising a horizontal spindle rotatable in said base and having portions provided with left-hand and righthand threads, and a pair of internally threaded stops each mounted on said spindle and each meshing with one set of said threads so that, in response to rotation of said spindle, the stops are movable nearer to or further away from the corresponding end faces of said balance beam.

12. A structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said sets comprises two driving rollers.

13. A structure as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a pair of horizontal shafts rotatably mounted in said housing and each supporting one roller of each pair.

14. A structure as set forth in claim 13, wherein said drive means comprises a motor for each of said shafts.

No references cited.

HARRISON L. HINSON, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,345,891 October 10, 1967 Theodor Dombrowski It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the heading to the printed speclfication, line 9, after "H 55,342" insert Aug. 28, 1965, H 5 ,014

Signed and sealed this 26th day of November 1968,

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. IN A PIT-MOUNTED MACHINE FOR TREATING MULTIPLEWEAR WHEELS OF WHEEL ASSEMBLIES IN RAILROAD VEHICLES, A HOUSING; TWO SETS OF DRIVING ROLLERS MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING, EACH OF SAID ROLLERS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND EACH OF SAID SETS BEING ARRANGED TO DRIVE ONE WHEEL OF A WHEEL ASSEMBLY; DRIVE MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID HOUSING AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID DIVING ROLLERS; AND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTIVAL AXIS. 